Crimson Dragon
by Hunter116
Summary: After the Battle for the Boston Airport, the Sole Survivor and the Lone Wanderer go missing. The locals believe the Institute to be at large for the disappearance of their local heroes. Their accusations, however, are not too far from the truth. The Institute has kidnapped the Lone Wanderer and the Sole Survivor and placed them in a simulation with a familiar setting: Anchorage.
1. They're Coming

"Where am I?" Katherine shouted. She had been trying for what seemed like hours. Her hands were bonded behind her back and the room was kept pitch dark. Katherine writhed her wrists against her restraints, hoping to find a way to escape. She thought back to James, Nate, all those who had been lost to get her here.

"It won't be for nothing, James. I promise you." Katherine gritted her teeth and prepared herself mentally for the pain that would come from escaping her handcuffs.

But it would seem fate had something else in mind for her.

The lights flashed on, momentarily blinding Katherine.

"Agh!" Katherine grunted as her eyes struggled to adjust to the new light.

A man stood in front of her. Shaun. Katherine rose to her feet, ignoring the pain and the screams of pain that resonates throughout her body. All signs of the fatigue and her injuries from the previous battle.

"Director…" Katherine spat, mustering up as much strength as she could manage. Shaun looked visibly upset, he placed his hand on an unseen glass that separated the two.

"Mother…" Shaun grunted. It seemed he was affected more than his pride would allow him. "You chose to forego your family for these… savages. Your own son…"

"You're not my son." Katherine hissed. "My son was stolen from me years ago."

"I'm right here, Mother." Shaun moaned, clearly upset. The room shook and dust fell from the ceiling. Katherine looked up while Shaun kept his eyes glued to his mother's face.

"What did you do with my friends?" Katherine asked, less aggressively in an attempt to lure Shaun out of his normal arrogant and protected self.

"As if that mattered how. They're coming for me. Humanity's last best hope now will soon be gone." Shaun sighed. He coughed into his hand violently before grabbing a handkerchief from an unseen pocket. He quickly hid it away but Katherine managed to spot a few red spots on the once white cloth. "I hope you're proud of yourself." Shaun grunted inbetween coughs.

"Shaun… that blood." Katherine whispered. "Are you sick?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I have no reason to live anyways." Shaun sighed, he suddenly began to stumble as if he struggled to even stand.

"Shaun!" Katherine shouted slamming both hands against the glass. "Help! Somebody help!"

"Stop." Shaun gasped. "It's too late for me now. But it's not too late for you."

"Shaun what are you talking about? It's never too late, just let me out. James is a doctor he can-"

"No!" Shaun roared. "I will never let his kind touch me."

"His kind? Shaun?"

"It's not worth the time nor the effort." Shaun slammed a button on the table he leaned on and a small helmet shot down from the ceiling while a seat materialized from the floor.

"What are you-"

"No time." Shaun wheezed before hacking and coughing once more. "Get in. Now."

"Shaun…"

"Now…" Shaun's voice was barely audible. Katherine nodded and leapt into the machine a small laser cut the bonds off her wrists so she could rest her wrists on the seat.

"What now?" Katherine asked. Shaun looked deeply into her eyes.

"You survive." Shaun slammed his hand into the table once more. Suddenly the helmet smashed onto Katherine's head as an electric shock rippled throughout her body. The pain was unbearable as it traveled from her head to her feet. Katherine felt like she was about to die. Then darkness.


	2. Invasion

-Katherine-

The sirens woke Katherine. She sat up straight in her desk, a slight bit of drool hangin on the side of her lips. She wiped it with the sleeve of her dress uniform. A technician ran past her office as two soldiers in full gear ran the opposite direction. She turned to her partner, Dylan for answers but he was still asleep at his terminal.

The buildings shook, from what Katherine did not know. She stood from her seat, the shaking tipping over her carefully balanced Vault-Tec coffee mug to the floor. She winced as it shattered but continued stepping towards the wide window at The US Army Headquarters. She gasped at what she saw: fleets upon fleets of Chinese bombers and transport vessels.

"Ma'am we have to get you out of here." An officer stated. Katherine heard him long before he entered the room, she had heard the clinking of his weapons. Why she was so perceptive to this, Katherine wondered as she turned almost frozen by the sight she had just scene. She turned to face the young officer.

"Yes, of course." Katherine muttered she strode forward, Dylan had finally woken up.

"Lieutenant, what is going on here?" Dylan demanded.

"Sir, the Chinese have come. We're losing Anchorage." The Lieutenant replied grimly. "Now General Chase is calling for all Officers to reach the Safe Zone perimeter."

"Perimeter? Why do we have a safe zone already establish?" Katherine asked. "They've just arrived we can fight then to a holding action."

"I agree, ma'am." The Lieutenant replied as he began dousing the terminals desks and files in gasoline. "But orders are orders." He hands Katherine a silver plated lighter. "Will you do the honors ma'am?"

Katherine nodded and flicked the lighter on. She tossed the lighter into the oil ash watched her work burn.

"take us to the safe zone, soldier." Katherine ordered.

"Of course, ma'am." The Lieutenant replied. He waved his troops along. "Rangers, move out."

-Nathan-

Nathan ran as fast as he could, panting as he went a long. I'm getting too old for this. He thought as he vaulted over some storage boxes. He darted under a few cargo containers as the Chinese troops came around the corner.

They spoke in hushed tones, as if they could actually sneak up on them him. Nathan grinned as he primed a plasma grenade. He lobbed it overhead and jumped out of his cover. He aimed his father's M1911 pistol and honed in on the grenade.

"Speak some English you fucks!" He taunted as he squeezed the trigger. A green plume covered the the Chinese troops burning their skin and setting many aflame.

The troops began to take cover and push through the now-activated fire suppression system. They shouted back in Chinese to which Nathan understood very little. Nathan emptied the magazine and continued lobbing grenades. When the Chinese finally stopped firing, Nathan grabbed his radio.

"This is Sergeant Hale, I'm pinned down at hallway C with a whole lot of reds. I'm in need of support." Nathan said over the radio.

"Copy that, Hale." Overlord, the tactical command specialist for the Anchorage Base, replied. "Be advised all assets are currently engaging Chinese forces where they can. The only available team is about a half hour away."

"Fuck." Nathan cursed to himself. "Copy that, Command."

Suddenly, three sprays of fire broke the silence with Nathan raising his pistol ready to fire. Three soldiers ran through the smoke.

"US Army! Surrender!" The lead soldier cried out. Nathan smirked.

"Blue, blue!" Nathan called out. The soldiers rushed forward and took cover besides Nathan.

"What's it look like out there?" Nathan asked.

"Reds everywhere," the soldier panted. Judging by the patches on their uniform and the haphazardly strapped gear, Nathan guessed they were fresh out of training. "Parachuting in, overran multiple gun battery positions. We're all that's left of Oscar Company."

"What?" Nathan asked. "Everyone?" Nathan's thoughts reflected back to all his friends who lived and served at the gun battery.

The soldier nodded. "They came from nowhere. Couldn't see them. We sprayed away at wherever we thought they were popped smoke and got the hell out of there."

Nathan nodded. "Well helps on the way. We hold this position."

"But there's nothing here sir." The soldier replied. Nathan shook his head and waved his dog tags at a wall. The wall opened up revealing a huge stash of weaponry as well as experimental suit of Power Armor.

"What's here is worth everything to the United States. We lose this, they get everything the DIA has." Nathan said. "And that is simply unacceptable."

-Ash-

"Move up!" Lt. James shouted. Ash rushed forward, leaping over the sandbags to join his commanding officer. "Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast!" Ash sprinted forward and suppressed the Chinese with his assault rifle. A tracer round shot past Ash's head. He turned and watched it cleave through a fellow squadmate's chest, ripping a hole into his torso.

Ash leapt into the trench and smashed the butt of his rifle against a Chinese soldier's head. He pulled the rifle to his hip and sprayed rounds at the fleeing Chinese troops. He cut down at leafy three of them when he rifle stopped firing. He reloaded quickly when his rifle was knocked out of his hands. An unseen adversary knocked him to the ground. Ash reached for his pistol when a spray of assault rifle fire cut down the invisible soldier.

"Hey there stranger." Yuri said with a smirk she lowered a hand down to Ash, who took it and was helped to his feet. "How can you fight if you're always on the floor?" She asked. Lt. James brushed past them and stood above them on top of a weapons crate.

"Shadow Company, regroup on me!" He shouted. A group of at least fifty men and women gathered around Lt. James with more than dozen auxiliary forces from mismatched units that Shadow Company had recovered.

"The Anchorage Pipeline is less than 100 miles from this location. Command knows that the Chinese invasion force has us outnumbered and outgunned." Lt. James shouted over the snow. Gunfire and explosions in the distance rocked the main gun battery that Shadow Company had just taken. "That's the obvious part of their officially orders. Uncle Sam isn't going to be able to send us help or reinforcements anytime soon."

"What?" Ash whispered, taken aback. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops up against a motley crew of defenders?! How are we going to hold out? Ash wondered to himself.

"But we will hold this pass. Orders from the top." Lt. James said grimly. "They get past us, they can hit the pipeline and the rest of the settled Northwest Commonwealth. Our families are down there. DIAs working to evacuate the rest of them but they need another week at best. We will give them that week. Is that understood?" He shouted.

"Yes sir!" Replied a collective voice.


	3. Holding the Line

-Katherine-

"Ma'am new orders from the brass." The Lieutenant said running to catch up with Katherine. "We've got to make our way to Hallway C in the Ammunition Depot. Extract some sort of VIP."

Katherine nodded. She motioned for a rifle and ranger quickly handed a sniper rifle to her. She pressed the stock to her cheek and began to observe the Command Center.

"Reds have the entire area surrounded, ma'am." The Lieutenant reported. "They've got the main bridge in covered by MG nests with overlapping fields of fire. Countless troops inside ready to engage us when we reach the facility."

"This is the only way in?" Katherine asked. The Lieutenant scratched his temple and nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then it seems there is only one course of action, Lieutenant." Katherine said, lowering the rifle. "We take the bridge."

-Ash-

"Here they come!" Kodiak shouted.

"Glade! Ready the Gatling laser!" Lt. James shouted. Glade pulled the chamber back on the mounted gun and grabbed hold of the handle.

"She's hot and ready to fire, boss!" Glare chuckled in response. Ash squatted behind the concrete cover of the MG nest with Glade and Yuri. Yuri looked at Ash, she noticed jos hands were shaking.

"Nervous?" She asked. Ash could only nod in reply. She placed her hand on the chamber of Ash's rifle. "Everything's going to be alright." She smiled, calming Ash.

"Alright." Ash muttered in return.

"100 meters out." Lt. James squawked over the radio. "Don't shoot until I give the order."

Ash chambered a round into his assault rifle. He breathed deeply to steady his hands.

"50 meters out." Dush whispered over the radio.

"Shadow Company weapons free!" Lt. James ordered. Ash stood from his squat and took aim at the first Chinese soldier he spotted through the snow.

Ash blasted away at the Chinese lines as laser fire dotted the landscape. A blue stream of Guass rocketed over Ash's head and tore the arm off a Chinese soldier. Ash turned and found Lt. James had joined them in the nest.

"Yuri, on your right." He said, completely professional with no indication of letting his guard down. He loaded a fusion cell into the rifle as Yuri turned and began to fire at enemies unseen by Ash. Ash raised his own rifle and found he face of a Chinese soldier looking straight into the nest. Ash fired away and lasted he soldier down.

Suddenly a blue projectile shot into the air and rocketed towards the nest.

"Incoming!" Ash shouted. The round slammed into the nest, causing a piece of concrete to fall and pound the soldiers inside. A rock hit Yuri, disorientating her. As she stumbled another rock plummeted towards her. "Yuri!" Ash shouted and tackled her out of the way as the rock slammed onto Ash's head.

"Is he dead?" A disembodied voice asked.

"No, it doesn't appear to be so." Another replied.

"Interesting, don't they normally die physically when they die in the simulation?" The first voice asked.

"Yes, of course." The second one answered. "I theorize that this one merely became unconscious and entered the normal REM cycle."

Ash grumbled as he attempted to relook at where the disembodied voices came from.

"Oh, he's waking up. Put him back under again." The first voice said. Ash felt something cold enter his arm and then everything faded once again.

"Ash!" A voice called him from the brink. "Ash!"

"Who is it?" Ash grumbled, as he slowly regained consciousness.

"Ash!" The man shouted at him as if shouting could bring a man back from the dead. He shook Ash, who finally woke up from the grogginess.

"Lt. Hwang?" Ash asked as his vision cleared. James handed Ash his sidearm. "Yuri's hurt. Cover me with Glade. We're pulling back to Nest 3."

"James!" Ash shouted grabbing hold of James's arm.

"What is it, Private?" James asked.

"This isn't real!" He exclaimed. "None of it is. We're in a simulation!"


	4. Counterattack

-Katherine-

Katherine huffed as she stood waiting inside the cold, gray command tent. Soldiers with clipboards and pip-boys zoomed in and out of the tent as they began to establish intelligence networks and communications relays for their soldiers in the front lines. All the while, General Chase sat in the corner of the tent, seated in a leather arm chair, likely shipped in specially for him. He hummed as he carefully flicked a match alight and lit his cigar. He took a deep puff and sighed as more soldiers piled into the tent with an oversized table.

Katherine could feel the tension surrounding the tent. The Lieutenant who escorted her to the Safe Zone stood at attention next to her. Despite the cold, he remained still and vigilant. She envied his training, mostly for his ability to seemingly be comfortable in any given situation. Katherine thought back to the bridge and the countless times this Lieutenant had saved her life. She sighed as she thought about her decision to take to bridge and all the lives it cost. The Lieutenant seemed to read her mind as he quickly whispered.

"Don't think about that, ma'am." he grunted. "We all knew what we signed up for."

"I can't help it." Katherine replied softly. "Every time I close my eyes…"

"They were good men." The Lieutenant relented. "But that's why we have to fight on. We have to win. For them."

Katherine nodded and the Lieutenant seemed to accept this. But she couldn't help but wonder how many lives could have been saved if she hadn't chosen to storm the bridge. Would the rest of the squad still be alive? Katherine regrettably accepted that she would never know.

The opening of the tent flap blinded Katherine and released her from her state of self-doubt and insecurity. She sprang back to attention as General Chase finally stood from his arm chair.

"Well, you made it." Chase said with a hoarse voice. Katherine looked out of the corner of her eyes to watch a battered infantryman walk in. Multiple pieces of armor were missing. He placed his cavalry knife on the oversized table.

"You know I hate to be late, sir." The man said.

"Good work in slowing their advance, Lieutenant Hwang. That's exactly the kind of leadership we're going to need if we're ever going to beat the Chinese." Chase said with another puff of his cigar.

"My men are going to need immediate medical attention. Most of us made it out okay, but still…" James paused. General Chase raised a gloved hand and shook his head.

"Say no more son, they're already being treated as we speak." Chase said. "They'll be back in the fight within the week."

"That's a relief. Thank you, sir." James grinned. He turned to Katherine and his expression changed. He seemed surprised at first, then confused, but then returned to his grin and held out his hand. "Captain Merigold, am I right?"

"Yes… I" Katherine muttered, half surprised with the sudden introduction.

"Glad to see you made it out of the base okay. I know a lot of the Officers didn't make it out by the time the Chinese bombed it sky-high." James smiled.

"Yes, it was an interesting experience." Katherine returned the smile. Chase walked forward and pressed a button on the table. A blue, holographic map of the area lit the formerly grey tent. An MP by the entrance noticed the change in scenery and began ushering officers out of the tent.

"What is this for, sir?" Katherine asked. Chase sighed and took another deep puff of his cigar. He puffed a donut into the air before continuing.

"The Reds took us completely by surprise. They've overrun our positions here, here and here." Chase pointed. Lt. Hwang had suddenly become all-business as he devoted his full attention to the table and seemed to be taking mental notes as Katherine attempted to begin to comprehend any of the information presented.

"Those gun batteries are our anti-air defenses. We cannot get any reinforcements or supplies from Uncle Sam until Canada gives us the go ahead. So until then, we are effectively isolated." Chase grunted. He shifted his coat before continuing. "We have limited assets in the area. We've established a front line alongside the entire Anchorage pipeline."

"Sir, respectfully, that's going to spread our forces too thin to effectively combat the Chinese. We can't expect reinforcements to arrive soon. Our boys will be sitting ducks out there." Hwang commented.

"I understand that, son. But we cannot let the Chinese take or destroy America's only source of oil. We have to hold it." Chase concluded.

Katherine began running the situation through her head. If she learned anything at VMI it was strategy. The pipeline runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks before running along the US-Canadian border into American territory. That stretch of territory is in an awkward position that is best suited for its economic use but not for a military defensive. Additionally, with the recent political atmosphere, Congress had severely depleted funding for the US Air Force, making it difficult to launch aerial counterattacks to the Chinese fleet of bombers and fighters.

"What's our air fleet look like?" Lt. Hwang asked. Katherine noted that the Ranger next to her was thinking of asking the same question.

"Bunch of old P-57s. We can't even get them of the runway for fear of using too much goddamn fuel." Chase muttered as he waved his cigar hand over the table. The holographic map changed and hovered over a range of cliffs.

"That's the early warning station." Katherine noted.

"Good eye, Captain. Those are the stations now taken into Red hands. Our front lines are getting reports of artillery. Big ass guns pointed right at us."

"The Chinese are using our guns against us." The Ranger pointed out.

"That they are. We are going to need to take back those guns. Captain Merigold, you're heading this operation. Lt. Hwang and the 1st Armored Calvary Rangers are being tasked to assist."

Katherine nodded at the Ranger, who returned the gesture.

"And my men, sir?" Lt. Hwang asked.

"They're all being routed to assist with this operation. This Strike Team is going to push the Chinese back out of Alaska."

"Where do we begin, sir?" Katherine asked.

"You have two objectives. Merigold, you and a team of paratroopers will fly and chute in on those cliffs. The Rangers will attempt to distract the Chinese through a frontal assault for those guns. Hwang, you're going to start operations near the front lines."

Chase looked at the three of them before waving his hand over the table. Suddenly an image of a gruff-looking old man appeared.

"Merigold, the reason you're tasked with seeing this mission through personally is to ensure the safety of this man. DIA Agent Nathaniel Hale. He was tasked with evaluating the condition of the Alaskan Defense Force when everything went down. He squawked in when this all began, now, I'm not so sure."

"So I'll find him then." Katherine repeated. Chase nodded. "You're all dismissed. Godspeed."

Katherine waved her hand over her face as she exited the command tent. She found it odd that the flap didn't hit her head like it did when she left other tents. She looked back and found Lt. Hwang holding it her for. He nodded and strode past her. The Ranger exited the tent and sighed.

"Guess we're in for one Hell of a fight, ma'am." The Ranger commented.

"In more ways than one. Thanks for getting me out safely, Ranger." Katherine responded. The Ranger took off his facemask and took a deep breath.

"God, it's cold out here." He shivered before smiling and holding out a hand at Katherine. "It was an honor ma'am. Call me Nate."

"Nate." Katherine said as she shook his hand. "The honor was mine. Good luck out there."

"You too, ma'am." Nate said before placing his face mask back onto his face. Katherine turned around to see another man walk up to her.

"Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin Montgomery, ma'am. Reporting for duty." The man grunted with a hard salute. Katherine returned it and watched as the man visibly relaxed.

"Good to have you aboard, Benjamin. I assume you were briefed?" Katherine asked. She motioned for him to follow as she walked towards a parked vertibird nearby.

"Yes, ma'am. I gotta say for an Army Maneuver, it's pretty ballsy." Montgomery said gruffly.

"Take it you're not exactly as army fan." Katherine smiled.

"US Marines, ma'am. Guess you could say that." He smiled back. Katherine entered the vertibird and sat in one of the seats.

"Well," Katherine began as the Vertibird lifted off. She looked out the open bay door and at the front lines in the distance. Planes glinted in the air as they rocketed through the air in what surely will be a long battle for air superiority. "Around me, you're in for one Hell of a ride."

"That sounds about right," The Ranger nodded. "Wouldn't be a Ranger if I didn't want the occasional shit show." He looked quickly at Katherine before stumbling slightly with his words. "With all due respect, of course." Katherine nodded and gave him a curt smile. She looks out the bay door and watched the carnage unfold below. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of mess she was about to head into.

-James-

"Fuck! Incoming!" a voice shouted. An explosion. Darkness.

James tried blinking. He tried moving. Nothing seemed to work as the light slowly slipped back into his life. James's vision slowly cleared until a door was thrown open and a man in a fuzzy outline of a foreign military uniform grabbed James by the collar. James reacted instinctively and headbutted the soldier. He grabbed his knife and stabbed it into the man's neck. As the soldier grabbed for his neck, he stumbled backward, blood shooting out of the wound. Must have hit a vein. James's recollected himself and reached for his sidearm. He exited the vehicle slowly and watched the soldier die in front of him. A yell from the side. James turned to find another soldier charging him, speaking an unintelligible language. James raised his sidearm and fired twice. The man fell. It was at that point that James realized he couldn't hear. We look around him, utter chaos.

Men fought close quarters. Gray uniforms clashed with an off-white counterpart. Nothing seemed distinguishable. Suddenly a dull thud, woke James from his momentary daydream.

"Boss!" a hoarse voice shouted in the distance. A man-clad in shining white Power Armor stormed from the inside of the destroyed APC and rushed forward like a train. James watched the armor rush past him and slam a huge metal fist into a tan soldier's chest. The fist cleaved through a large portion of the man, splattering the angelic white with unsightly red. Sounds rushed back into James's sears suddenly and all became clear. James rushed into action. Aiming down the sights of his pistol. Radio chatter flooded his consciousness.

"Ambush! They're coming from all side!"

"We know! Hit them back!"

"Fuck! Gunner's down. Someone get on the fifty!"

James looked up on the APC to find a man slumped over the turret in question. He turned and watched as tan off white unforms rushed the position from all sides. The concoy had been boxed into a tight ravine with nowhere to run. James jumped onto the ladder and ducked when a stray shot slammed into the amoured vehicle, creating sparks. James rushed up the ladder and carefully lifted the dead soldier off the turret. He chambered a round and began to unleash spray after spray of high caliber rounds against the tide of Chinese forces.

James fired at target after target.

"Don't let up!"

"Their numbers are thinning out!"

It almost became machine-like, the entire process. Aim shoot repeat. There was no thought, no hesitation. It was kill or be killed. Suddenly, James searched for the next target and realized, there were none to be found.

"We did it! Haha! We held the line!"

A wave of cheers flooded the air waves as vertibirds flocked overhead. James watched them and breathed a heavy sigh.

"We did it." He panted, suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion.

"Shadow 0-1, we thought we lost you down there." One of the vertibird pilots squawked over the radio. James reached for his radio only to find that a stary round had clipped it and destroyed most of the mechanism. James looked around and reluctantly looted a spare off the previous gunner.

"Nothing the Shadow Company couldn't handle." James reported. "What's the status on the insertion team?"

"Still en-route now. But you guys are behind schedule. Looks like the marines will reach their target before your diversion will have full effect." The vertibird pilot reported. James scanned the wreckage of the convoy and discovered that a fleet of power armor was completely undamaged by the attack.

"Roger that, Killer Bee. We'll be legging it from here, half the vehicles are gone anyway. Make sure the marines know what they're up against. Reds have taken the hills for themselves." James replied.

"Roger that. We'll try to keep the skies clear for your assault, over." The vertibirds quickly broke formation and continued down the range. James leapt off the APC and found that his company had gathered around the command APC. James nodded, hoping it was acceptable as a stall as he searched for words. He discovered that the crowd lacked many of the regulars that attended his pre-assault speeches.

"Looks like we've lost a few." James commented.

"At least half the company's dead or missing, boss." Kodiak stated. James nodded, hoping to conceal his grief.

"Rangers! We have orders to retake that ridge. The very same one we abandoned just hours ago. You saw how quickly the Reds have pushed the line. That is not acceptable. We have to take that ridge and then hold it." James shouted above the winds of the range.

"What if the Chinese fire the artillery on our ridge?"

"Then they do. Until then, we fight. Till the last man." James said. "Go salvage what we can from the convoy, I saw some Power Armor down the column, see if we can get those in working order." The Rangers soon split into groups with only a handful sticking around James.

"This is bad." James muttered.

"Yeah, no shit." Glade grunted as he sat on the snow, power armor and all.

"We really have to take this ridge, sir?" Kodiak asked. James nodded grimly. He scanned the remains of his men and shook his head.

"It's a suicide mission." Gallows commented.

"One only we can deliver on." James agreed. He looked up at the mountain range above him and shook his head. "Is this really where we are consigned to die?" James stared at the range and realized a small abandoned path ran along it.

"Maybe, we don't need reinforcements after all." James beamed. He put his leg up on a wooden crate and stared at the ridge. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do."


End file.
